BASF plans to invest up to €56 million (US$73.7 million) in the expansion of its Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) value chain over the next four years.
PVP is a polymer that is used in diverse industries, for example the pharmaceutical or the personal and home care sector, mainly due to its binding properties.
Through revamping existing plants in Ludwigshafen, Germany and Geismar, Louisiana and introducing the PVP technology at BASF’s site in Shanghai, China, the company will increase its global PVP production capacities by up to 6,000 metric tons.
All plants will operate under the highest possible quality standards (current Good Manufacturing Practice).
The polymer PVP can be used in a broad range of applications due to its varied features: It is water soluble, but can also absorb large quantities of water.
It is non-irritant to the skin and does not pose a health hazard.
It is temperature-resistant, pH-stable, non-ionic and colorless.
A majority of BASF’s PVP capacities are destined for the pharmaceutical industry.
Under the name Kollidon, PVP is mainly used as an excipient in tablets with binding and disintegrant functionality.
As a binder, it enables the individual active ingredients of a tablet to form a homogenous entity and as a disintegrant it ensures that the tablets break up in liquid and release the active ingredient quickly.
The excipient can furthermore be deployed as lyophilisation agent, suspension stabilizer and thickener.
In addition to the pharmaceutical industry, PVP-based products are used in the cosmetic, detergent and food sector as well as for technical applications.
PVP can be used for the filtration of beer and the treatment of wine (Divergan).
Luvitec plays an essential role, for example, in the production of membranes for micro- and ultra-filtration, which are employed for dialysis and water filtration.
It can also be utilized for special adhesives.
